Exaggerated Memories
by CustardMelons
Summary: Lionel makes a rash decision and it alters Lex's mindset. Terrible memories resurface and affect Lex's life. When he refuses to seek help and gets into a memory he can't get out of how can he return to his normal life.
1. House Of Wolves

_**"Well, I know a thing about contrition,**_

_**Because I got enough to spare. And I'll be granting your permission, 'Cause you haven't got a prayer. Well I said hey, hey hallelujah, I'm gonna come on sing the praise. And let the spirit come on through ya, We got innocence for days!**_

_**Well, I think I'm gonna burn in hell, Everybody burn the house right down.**_

_**And say, ha What I wanna say Tell me I'm an angel, Take this to my grave. Tell me I'm a bad man, Kick me like a stray. Tell me I'm an angel, Take this to my grave."**_

_**'House Of Wolves' - My Chemical Romance**_

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

The doorbell rang again. Lana had convinced Lex to have the staff take the weekends off. Lana usually answered the door on weekends seeing that even Lex didn't take his own advice about taking the weekends off to enjoy and relax during his free time.

Upon opening the door Lana found the entire gang waiting, nervously, on the front steps. Lana was shocked to say the least. Sure they had all been over to the mansion, for one reason or another, every now an then, but never all together. She let them in, something had to be up, and otherwise they wouldn't have come together.

"We need to talk to you and Lex. It's important." Chloe said. Chloe had always skipped the pleasantries and went straight to what was up. Lana always liked that about her. That's why they had been best friends since high school. But if Chloe looked nervous, like she did now, something was definitely amiss.

"Come on in. Lex is probably in the study since he never seems to take a break from work." Lana said leading them to the destination. Lana opened the door to the study to find that Lionel was with Lex having a heated discussion.

"The decision is final, Lex. Nothing you say or do is going to change that!" Lionel replied vehemently.

"How can you just do this without even consulting me? I have just as much right as you do in making the final call!"

"That is where you're wrong, son. You have absolutely no right in the final decision."

"You're an un-imaginable bastard for doing this. I don't see how should have even had one ounce of mutual like for you." Lex spat.

Lionel reached back and backhanded Lex across the face for his comment. "Don't you dare! I won't let you ruin her memory like this." Lionel said seething in anger.

Lex whipped his head back to face his father. "I will fight you on this, and I will win. I'm not letting you get away with this. Now get out!"

With that Lionel left through the side door. Neither of them had seen the newcomers to the conversation standing in the doorway. Lex wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth where Lionel's wedding ring had split his lip. He ran his hand over his scalp. Something he had been trying to quit.

"Lex? What's going on?" Martha said making their presence known as they entered the room. Lex whipped around to face them. Trying not to let it show that they had startled him.


	2. Do The Panic

_**"It's time to lose control!**_

_**Turn off your radio! You're gonna feel alright! Let's do the panic tonight!"**_

_**'Do The Panic' - Phantom Planet**_

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Lex walked over to Lana and gave her a kiss on the side of her mouth and putting his hand on the small of her back. "Hey, what's going on here? A party I don't know about?" Lex said jokingly, trying to draw attention away from his previous conversation.

"Lex what were you and Lionel discussing? And why did he hit you?" Jonathon exclaimed.

"Nothing, it's just some family business that needs to be cleared up." He replied.

"You never answered why he hit you!" Lois said indignantly.

Lex gave her a glare that would have anyone cowering and rushing away so as not to be in his spite. "Just a little disagreement that got out of hand. And no on has answered why there seems to be a gathering in my home today." He said trying to steer the topic away from himself and his father's conversation.

"Do your discussions always get out of hand like that?" Clark replied, now seeing what Lex had meant by not having a normal relationship with his father. Clark never thought that this is what Lex meant.

Lex sighed, knowing they wouldn't let this drop unless he told them what they wanted to hear. "Occasionally, not as often anymore." He regretted the reply as soon as it came out of his mouth. Lex turned to get a drink he was going to need one when they started asking all the questions he knew they were barely keeping in.

"What do you mean anymore? Did he hit you when you were younger? What kind of relationship do you and Lionel have exactly?" Chloe asked, her journalistic curiosity getting the better of her.

Lex tensed with the accusation. He knew that they had no idea what had happened when he was younger. Lionel had seen to burying all that evidence years ago. Still, he always got a little jumpy when conversations went toward what his childhood was like.

"Just a little smack when I got out of control. No big deal. Let's just say we never had a typical father-son relationship. Our relationship is built on lies, deceit, power, and one-up man-ship."

"How can you say it's no big deal? He abused you as a child, and still as an adult! How did he get away with it? Then and now?! Why didn't you tell anyone?" Clark said his voice rising with every question. Lex's mask dropped.

"You're talking about Lionel Luthor here. No one would believe that he abused his son, and if they did they didn't live long enough to tell Social Services. You don't think I tried to tell someone. I told nannies, butlers, teachers, and cops. Even my mother! Yet no one seemed to believe me. There was no outstanding evidence to raise suspicion against him. The cops wouldn't do anything since they were on his payroll. Nannies, butlers, and teachers all wanted to keep their jobs. My mother was unable to go against my father when it came to me, and when she did she was treated just as I was! So excuse me for 'letting' this happen to me for all these years!" Lex had lost his cool and he knew it. Giving them to much information.

Everyone stood in shock. Lex Luthor never lost his cool. He never let anything about his childhood be known other than his love for his mother. Lex turned his back on them not wanting to see their faces after his explosion.

Lana walked over and placed her hand on his forearm, trying to comfort him. "Lex why didn't you tell Social Services yourself?"

Lex turned to her and held her hand in his. "They would have taken me from my mother. He would have had me back in days after I left anyway, so it was pointless. I couldn't let him take his frustrations out on her. So I stayed and let him do it to me." You could hear the sadness in his voice. Forcing himself to stay and protect his mother when it should have been the other way around.

Lana embraced him suddenly. She pulled him tight against her. He held her as if she would disappear if he let go. They finally parted and she gave him a reassuring smile.

Lex opened his mouth to explain more but his phone rang interrupting what he was about to say. "Luthor." He answered, his mask sliding back in place. He suddenly went pale. "No stall him until I get there. If he doesn't wait tell him I'll make his existence disappear." Lex ended the phone call and swore. "Shit." He walked over to his desk and paged the security manager. "Get the helicopter ready for Metropolis, I'm leaving in five."


	3. Pain

_**"Fade away**_

_**So you don't make a scene Close your mouth And try keeping it closed forever Afraid of what you are Afraid of how you learn to close your mouth And try keeping it closed forever**_

_**If you had the mind to just check out It's something better than nothing I'm not the type to scream and shout Yeah**_

_**Pain It pains me just to see you where Rather be lost in a river without you Pain, pain, pain"**_

_**'Pain' - The Used**_

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Lex what's going on?" Lana said walking over to where he was putting his coat on.

"I have to go to Metropolis for a couple of hours."

"What ever it is it can wait."

"Lana this is important. It can't wait."

"More important than this?"

"Yes it is as a matter of fact!" He sighed knowing yelling at her was not helping the situation. "Lana, this is extremely important. My past can wait till I get back. I promise, we'll talk. But not until after I return."

"Alright." She conceded "The moment you get back we're talking about this."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." He smirked and kissed her once more before leaving.

***Everyone stayed after Lex left, even though the hour had grown late, they wanted to know more about his childhood. They became alert when they heard some shuffling and two sets of footsteps in the hallway.

"You really did it this time Lex." an unknown voice had said.

"Thank you for that amazing overview Toby." Lex had mumbled.

"Where should we do this? Bedroom? Study?"

"Not the bedroom, Lana might have retired for the night and I don't want to wake her. The Study is fine."

"Are you going to tell her about this?"

"It will keep her from unnecessary pain. Plus, she might try to blame herself for this when it's completely mine."

"You got that right. Come on let's get to the study. Then I can give you something for the pain."

"By the way, thanks Toby."

"No problem Lex. If you didn't get into these situations all the time I'd be out of a job." Toby said sarcastically.

"Glad to help." Lex replied just as sarcastically. They finally reached the study doors and pushed them in.

"I just hope Lana's in bed so I don't have to explain this." Lex said.

"Explain what exactly?" Lana said with her hands folded over her chest. Lex and Toby looked up, not expecting everyone to still be here.

"Crap." Lex muttered under his breath.


	4. Kill All Your Friends

_**"Well, she's not bleeding on the ballroom floor**_

_**Just for the attention. Cause that's just ridiculously on. Well, she sure is gonna get it Here's the setting Fashion magazines line the walls now The walls line the bullet holes**_

_**Have some composure Where is your posture? Oh, no, no You're pulling the trigger Pulling the trigger All wrong"**_

_**'Time To Dance' - Panic At The Disco**_

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Oh my, Lex what happened to you?" Martha said getting up from the couch and walking over to where Lex was leaning most of his weight on Toby.

"Nothing serious, I was just in a little accident." He said.

"It doesn't look like 'little' describes it." Lana said in a worried tone. "Is this why you had to go to Metropolis so badly? To get beat up."

"I didn't get beat up, per say." Lex said wincing as he shifted some of his weight off of Toby. "There was an accident."

"You can say that again." Toby muttered. "Come on, let's get you over to the couch." Toby supported Lex to the couch, which he fell ungracefully on to.

Toby got his medical bag and started to take out some painkillers. "Here, take these. And not with brandy this time."

Lex smirked brandy and painkillers definitely did NOT go together. He'd experienced it a few times. He dry swallowed the pills hoping they'd take effect soon. Lex took off his shirt so Toby could start poking and prodding his torso to see exactly what he was working with.

"Lex, what happened in Metropolis?" Lana asked patiently.

"Like I said, there was an accident and I got in the way. No major damage." He replied casually.

"Lex." She said. He was trying her patience. "You said we'd talk about this more when you got back. Everyone stayed to listen."

"Can't it wait till tomorrow?"

"Lex, you said we'd talk about this."

"I know and we will. Lana please it's been an extremely hard day and I'm not looking forward to Toby's prodding."

"No, Lex, because you're going to find some way out of it tomorrow. I know you will. We're going to talk about this whether you like it or not."

"Lana," Lex's patience was wavering at this point. He hissed when Toby hit a particularly sore spot on his ribs, which was already starting to bruise.

"It looks like these are cracked Lex, maybe even broken." Toby said not looking up from examining the rest of Lex's torso.

"Please don't push me on this. It's hard enough to relieve these particular memories, but even harder to tell them to a room full of people." Lex breathed out as Toby kept finding the cracked ribs.

"Lex I realize how hard this is for you, but it will be better if you just opened up." Lana pleaded with him.

Lex was about to reply when his phone rang. "Dammit! Luthor," Lex sat up from his previous position, lying on the couch. "I talked to the contractor! I stopped production on the site! Did he get to him?" Lex clenched his jaw "Where's my Father now? I'll meet him on the way up."

"Lex? What's wrong?" Martha asked.

Lex got up from the couch and walked into the hallway, almost running in to his father. "You bastard!" Lex seethed.

"I told you that no matter what you did I had final say. I won again, son." Lionel smirked.

Lex reached back and landed a left hook right to Lionel's jaw knocking him down. "Lex! Come on!" Clark called as he grabbed Lex around the waist and dragging him back into the study. He struggled to get out of the hold but gave up when Clark put pressure on his cracked ribs making him gasp. Chloe and Martha went to see if Lionel was all right. They helped him up and suggested that he leave.


	5. Time To Dance

_**"Sometimes you scrape and sink so low,**_

_**I'm shocked at what you're capable of. And if this is a coronation, I ain't feeling the love.**_

_**'Cause we are all a bunch of animals That never paid attention in school. So tell me all about your problems; I was killing before killing was cool. You're so cool, You're so cool, So cool!"**_

_**'Kill All Your Friends' - My Chemical Romance'**_

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Lex, what was that about?" Clark asked him when he got him back in the study. Lex didn't answer. He was just muttering to himself something that sounded like 'he was right' and 'to late'.

Lex walked to the coffee table and picked up the decanter of scotch. He held it just for a moment, as if contemplating whether or not to drink it. As it looked like he had finally calmed down he promptly threw the decanter into the fire. The flames leapt casting light over his murderous eyes. He sank to his knees, defeated.

No one was quite sure how to approach him. Lana, finally getting sick of waiting for someone else to move, went over and sat on her knees in front of him. When he lifted his head and stared into her eyes she had never seen him look like he had completely given up. There was no fight left in him. It broke her heart to see him like this. She pulled him into her arms hoping to provide him with at least some kind of comfort.

Lana looked over Lex's shoulder and mouthed for everyone else to make their leave. They obviously weren't going to get through anything else tonight. It took awhile but Lana had convinced him to lay back down so Toby could finish looking over Lex's injuries. It was late by the time Toby left the mansion with advice to take a couple days off and just rest.

***

They were lying in bed, Lana's head on his chest, his left arm around her back, and their hands interlaced lying on his stomach. "Lex, what happened?" Lana asked quietly just in case he was sleeping. Neither of them could sleep, however. There was just too much going through each of their minds.

"When I left earlier today," He started. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I went to Metropolis to stop production of my mother's grave site being torn down." There was obvious hurt in his voice.

Lana sat up abruptly. "Is that what you and you father were arguing about? Did he make them tear it down?"

"Yes, I never thought he would actually do something like this. She was his wife and he just bulldozes her grave over. What sort of sick person does a thing like that?"

"Lex, I'm so sorry. Why were you injured when you came back though?"

"I tried to stop the bulldozer with my body." He said jokingly. "I got in a fight with my father. This is the result of me not thinking clearly and letting my emotions cloud my judgment."

"Lex, I don't know how to help you feel better. I suspect that nothing is ever going to make this even a little better." There was silence for a long time. Both absorbed in their own thoughts. After several moments Lana spoke up again. "Why did he do it, Lex?"

"He did it for a new Luthorcorp building. I guess he thought it was time to bury the past."

"I'm so sorry Lex." Lana lay back down.

"So am I. Let's get some sleep." With that Lex turned over to face Lana and put his arms around her.

"I love you." Lana whispered.

"I know," He replied. Lana smacked him lightly on the chest, both of them smiling. "I love you too."


	6. AN

Hey guys I'm in the process of rewriting this fic. I just reread through it and realized how much better it could be. I'm also in the process of finding a beta who will help me creatively and keep the writing as good as it could and can be. If anyone has any suggestions for some really great betas I would appreciate it.


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